Bike Accidents

If you have been in a bike accident that resulted in personal injury then you may able to make a claim for compensation. This is usually only possible if the bike accident you were involved in was not your fault – this is worth bearing in mind when you are thinking of a personal injury claim.

Bike Accidents – common causes

There are a range of reasons you might be able to make a personal injury claim following a bike accident, including:

• An accident caused by an ill-maintained road surface, such as a road that had a raised surface or pothole that caused you to be thrown from your bike.

• An accident caused by another vehicle, such as a car’s action causing you to swerve out of the way and ending in personal injury, or a vehicle hitting your bike and causing injury to you.

• If your child is involved in a bike accident then you might be able to make a personal injury claim on their behalf. Sadly children are particularly vulnerable to bike accidents on the road. According to national child safety charity, the Child Accident Prevention Trust, 2010 saw over 366 bike riders under the age of 15 seriously injured in accidents on the road – 7 of them died

Bike Accidents and Time limits

If you are thinking of making a personal injury claim, it is very important to get good legal advice as soon as you feel able to. In particular, there is a three-year limit on personal injury claims – so if you leave it too long to start proceedings, your case might not qualify for compensation.

However there are two exceptions to the need to claim within three years of your accident which are:

• For children injured in bike accidents, the three year limit doesn’t come into effect until their 18th birthday – so they have until 21 to claim.

• If you didn’t discover an injury straight away (ge if you only discovered a fracture later on), the three year limit starts from the discovery of this injury not the date of the accident.

Bike Accidents – your claim

If your claim is successful, you will be awarded compensation for the injury caused by the bike accident. The level of compensation is based on your loss of earnings and, if necessary, expenses you’ve incurred as a result of the injury (such as prescriptions or alterations to vehicles to accommodate you).

Thinking of a bike injury claim? Contact our team

Wherever you live in England and Wales, if you are the victim of a bike accident make sure you contact our specialist Personal Injury Solicitors today.